Misstating Rove column, Kilmeade baselessly claimed 66 percent oppose "the stimulus bill"
SUMMARY: Discussing a column by Karl Rove, Brian Kilmeade baselessly claimed that "[s]ixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill." In fact, Rove noted in his column that according to a CNN poll, 66 percent of Americans are opposed to a second stimulus bill -- the poll showed majority support for the bill enacted in February.
During a discussion of Karl Rove's April 1 Wall Street Journal column on the April 2 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade baselessly claimed: "Sixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill." In fact, Rove noted in his column that, according to a March 12-15 CNN/Opinion Research poll, "66% of Americans [are] opposed to a second stimulus bill" [emphasis added]. He did not assert that 66 percent of respondents oppose "the stimulus bill." Indeed, the CNN/Opinion Research poll Rove cited in his column found that 54 percent of respondents support the only stimulus bill to be considered by Congress in recent months: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law on February 17.
Kilmeade also stated that "only 39 percent support Barack Obama's budget, and that is decreasing," echoing Rove's assertion in his column that "[i]n March, a Gallup Poll found that positive impressions of the Obama budget dropped five points. Only 39% now harbor supportive views of it." But neither Rove nor Kilmeade noted that the percentage of Gallup respondents that "harbor supportive views" of Obama's budget represented a plurality of all respondents. According to the March 25 Gallup poll, 39 percent of respondents said their "impression" of Obama's proposed budget is "generally positive," 27 percent said their "impression" of the Obama budget is "generally negative," and 33 percent said they "don't know enough to say."
From Rove's April 1 Wall Street Journal column:
In March, a Gallup Poll found that positive impressions of the Obama budget dropped five points. Only 39% now harbor supportive views of it. A CNN/Opinion Research Poll in mid-March found that support for the stimulus bill Mr. Obama signed into law shifted 11-points against the bill in five weeks, with 66% of Americans opposed to a second stimulus bill.
From the April 2 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:
STEVE DOOCY (co-host): Karl Rove has got an item in The Wall Street Journal today, where he talks about how the Democrats have -- and the White House -- have tried to brand the GOP as the party of no. You know, everything we're trying to get accomplished in this country, the Republicans are saying, no, no, no.
Well, as it turns out, there was a closed-door meeting with the House Democratic caucus last week, and The Associated Press apparently reporting that the president said to a Democrat, "Don't think we're not going to keep score. We are keeping score, brother." And that is what Barack Obama said to a Democrat by the name of Peter DeFazio (OR). And the implicit message there is, DeFazio voted against the stimulus.
So, forget about targeting Republicans, it looks as if the White House is also targeting Democrats who are not in line with them.
GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): Well, and lots of Democrats have come out -- not lots -- but several have come out to say that they're against this huge budget bill as well. And so, there are 12 other Democrats that the White House is -- apparently is taking aim at -- some of these moderate Democrats, the people that we call "Blue Dog" Democrats, who the Republicans would love to shift to their side and be against this, because by all accounts, guys, the Democrats have the votes on this thing.
KILMEADE: Right. [Sen.] Ben Nelson [NE] --
CARLSON: Because it'll pass unless some of the people flip.
KILMEADE: Ben Nelson, [Sen.] Kent Conrad [ND], [Sen.] Mark Pryor [AK], just three of the 10, and they're going after them -- and it's described by Karl Rove -- the same way they went after Rush Limbaugh, the same way they went after Jim Cramer, and Mark [sic: Rick] Santelli.
DOOCY: Chicago politics.
KILMEADE: Just saying, "Listen, we know who you are, and we know what we need, and we know eventually you'll need us."
DOOCY: Yeah.
KILMEADE: So, it's getting tough to be a moderate, and I wonder how long that's going to happen, because [Sen.] Evan Bayh [IN] is another one, who was almost vice president.
DOOCY: Yeah, and what they're also doing -- the White House -- is enlisting the help of MoveOn.org and a bunch of the campaign elements.
KILMEADE: They meet with them regularly, with Valerie Jarrett. I couldn't believe that.
DOOCY: They do. And, extraordinarily, they were trying to get to, you know, a clarion call to get everybody on board, and I think only 5 percent of even the volunteers wound up signing a petition. So they've got their work cut out for them.
KILMEADE: Sixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill, and that's going up, and 39 -- only 39 percent support Barack Obama's budget, and that is decreasing.
Simple, really. If you want the truth, you don't go to Fox. If you are a drooling wing-nut, that's the place for you. Imagine if there was a "Fox Weather Channel"? If you don't like the weather you see outside, just go to that channel and see an alternative to what is actually happening outside.
I am really against censorship of most kinds but really.....these three idiots have got to go. For them to even put forth the appearance that they are operating under a "fair and balanced" standard is almost criminal. Jesus man! Fox's morning show is nothing more than a right wing radio mornign show on television. How can a man who is supposed to be unbiased say "Chicago politics" in the context in which Douchee did? Unbelievable!
"I am really against censorship of most kinds but really.....these three idiots have got to go."
Don't feel conflicted. Expecting people to conform to basic standards of behavior isn't censorship.
By now, Fox News must be coming to the realization that their lies are no longer working on the American people.
Perhaps. Won't stop them , though. They are based solely on ratings + advertisers. So long as those continue, they'll lie, misrepresent and show only one side to push Roger Ailes' agenda.
Agreed, they ain't gonna stop. I'd just like to think they're a bigger joke today than they were a year or two ago. They seem to be getting worse, and the politians and party they cowtow to does not seem to be benefiting by their lies like they used to.
You are right on. Fox doesn't have to change the nation. Like Rush Limbaugh, they parrot nonsense to the 25 percenters that still think Bush did a good job. Being the SOLE "news" outlet for those 25 percent equals huge ratings. To paraphrase former Bush speechwriter David Frum from his column about the damage Limbaugh is doing to the GOP: Having 20 million people listen and idiolize you and 100 million despise you is a great way to get rich, but it's a terrible way to win elections.
Jeeez...give poor Brian Kilmeade a break. So he makes mistakes in his reporting. It's not like he's a professional newscaster or anything. He's just a regular guy who works for FOX...and FOX is the place where regular people go for their news. FOX viewers want regular people, like themselves, talking to them over their TV screens, not some professional (i.e. liberal) newscasters. ;>)
Heh! One would think that if you 'misstated' something in a Rove colum, you'd be closer to the real truth. But leave it to Fox to even screw THAT up.
well if shuster was on last night im not holding much hope for tonight.
thats because keith points out how stupid that bunch is.
yeah, KO is not impressed with Doocy, or Carlson.Something happens to regular people when they enter the FOX fortress and breathe that specuial air. Like an episode of Outer Limits I saw a few years back. In a trance
C'mon. anything Rove offers as fact needs to be checked out - his history as a destructive moron (however cutesy clever) pegs him as a menace, especially when taken seriously by the likes of the Foxy's - their abusive twists rank them as candidates for comic book heros, think Alfred E. Newman of Mad Comics, which hopefully was a factor in last November's Republican debacle - surely the new masters at WSJ can conjure a somewhat less insulting tactic.
JERRY, I like that ROVE is a menace. His type of campaigning, and polocies are indeed a menace to this country.
what do you expect from a Sith Lord!
"What do you expect from a Sith Lord?" GARBAGE.
You know it's bad when you have to actually misquote KARL ROVE in order to make a point in a conservative argument!
i wonder if 66 percent of kilmeade's brain is not working properly
if reaganonics had worked i would agree....we are living in the resutls of that economic system.
No we are living in with the results of republicans that didn't stick to those principles. Oh, and Barny Frank and Chris Dodd didn't help matters much either.
You are right on. Fox doesn't have to change the nation. Like Rush Limbaugh, they parrot nonsense to the 25 percenters that still think Bush did a good job. Being the SOLE "news" outlet for those 25 percent equals huge ratings. To paraphrase former Bush speechwriter David Frum from his column about the damage Limbaugh is doing to the GOP: Having 20 million people listen and idiolize you and 100 million despise you is a great way to get rich, but it's a terrible way to win elections.
It is disgraceful that intelligent people listen and believe this crap. The homes I work in have this drivel on all day and quote verbatum from the lieing heads. WSJ, Rush, Hannity et.al. have America in its grip of deceit. Yet do not criticise for this is the news. America is one messed up country when we get our news from this blathering bloated mess of liars.